Fresno Fit Chef is Back for Set #2 — Sacrifice and Passion

Fresno Fit Chef showing off her guns!

My first blog covered most of my backstory and why I chose to get a personal trainer. The more time that I work on myself and work with Coach Rob, the more I realize that I have truly found my passion in physical fitness.

After years of being toxic to myself by making poor nutrition and health decisions, I live the daily challenge to be the best and healthiest version of myself.  In the last three years, Rob has guided me from a depressed 324 pound woman to an athlete.  One of the things that has helped me commit to transforming my life and my body is my competitive nature and the need to be the best.

I spend so much time in the gym now that it is like a second job!  I am constantly trying to improve my fitness game so that I can meet my next goal. My next goal is a lofty one; but it is something that I know I will achieve with my own perseverance, dedication, and commitment to improving and working with my Coach!

MY GOAL:  By the time that I am 45, I will compete in fitness competitions! 

My transformation is a conversation starter.  When I talk with people about the investment I have made in myself by paying for personal trainer and I suggest that they do the same, I am frequently met with opposition.  The normal argument is that they can’t afford it!  I think that is total crap! 

Everyone has financial struggles, bills to pay, unexpected expenses, and excuses for why we are content with living in a space that is unhealthy.  I never thought I would be able to afford a personal trainer!  When I first started with Robert three years ago, I was not in the position where I could take on this financial responsibility, but I also was not in the position where I could go even one more day ignoring my unhealthy body and aches and pains.  By sacrificing the little luxuries in my life, that I had convinced myself were necessities, I was able to scrape together enough to see Rob on a weekly basis.  Now, I have streamlined my frivolous spending and workout with Coach Rob several hours a week and we are hard charging toward my goal of competition!  

 

Maintain Motivation Monday!

BAM Logic!!!

Maintain Motivation Monday

Maintaining motivation is tough for most of the world.  An integral part of staying motivated, is to find a source of inspiration that speaks to YOU and to remain positive!

Chef B-Rizzle Set #2 – Why a Trainer?

What made you decide to hire a personal trainer?
Since I have struggled with my weight most of my life, I have never been comfortable working out at public gyms.  Besides being self-conscious about working out in public,  I thought the personal attention of a trainer would help me to learn what I needed to change to be successful and build a healthier lifestyle.  The positive motivation, exercises, and nutrition coaching with Coach Rob are personally adapted for me.  Having a personal trainer has helped me to sustain long term progress, commitment to our plan, and it definitely helps knowing that I have an accountability partner!

At my heaviest my doctor told me I was over 100 pounds overweight and it clearly had a severe negative impact on my health. I had high blood pressure, vertigo, sleep apnea, and terrible migraine headaches.  Any one of these ailments would leave me debilitated anywhere from a few hours to several days. After trying multiple treatment plans, doctors, specialists, a briefcase full of medications, and seeking care at Stanford Medical Center, I realized I needed to invest in my health and completely overhaul my lifestyle. 

I was referred to Rob and after our first meeting, I knew he was a perfect fit! His calm, positive demeanor, and his ability to understand my apprehension about working out due to my health issues was key.  Approximately 5 years before I met Rob, I was successful in losing and maintaining a 90 pound weight loss, but as many of us do, I lost the weight the wrong way. Coach Rob took the time to explain a plan that would generate slow and steady progress.   The right way! 

To say my first day working out with Rob was a out of my comfort zone, is a total and complete understatement.   I was comfortable in the gym because I was the only one working out, but it had been so long since I worked out that I threw up at the end of my work out. Somehow, Rob put a positive spin on me puking my guts out and I have been showing up ever since! 

10 Years of SYNERGY!

Steve Jobs, Maya Angelou, Confucius, and the Bible all preach the benefits of creating a career around what you love and your unique God-given talent.  The trainers at Synergy put this philosophy in practice every day!  Our days are fueled by the passion for what we do and sharing our gifts with our community.

At the end of May, we (Walt, Andre, Jacky, Eugene, Aaron, Allen, Rich, and I) celebrated a milestone for any business, 10 years of changing lives and helping people become healthier.

The guys.

Fresno Fit Chef showing off her guns!

Goofing Around

We train hard and push our clients to be a better version of themselves but… you know what they say about all work and no play.  We train hard and we know how to play hard!!!

Hang 10 – Uh 10 more reps!

In the words of Confucius, “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”  Thank you to everyone for sharing in our love of fitness.

Cheers to another 10 years! BAM!!!

 

 

The MILLION Dollar Word

Motivation is a 10 letter word that is worth a million dollars! No goal can be achieved without maintaining motivation and staying on track.

The motivation to take care of yourself quickly falls by the wayside when a child needs something, work is pulls you in several directions, or let’s face it, you’re just too tired to put forth the effort.  I stress the importance of motivation and just showing up to all my clients.  Some days you may feel like you are only able to do 20 minutes on the treadmill when you normally do 50, but every minute counts and showing up helps you maintain the motivation and consistency.  An integral part of staying motivated, is to find a source of inspiration that speaks to YOU and to remain positive!  Maintaining motivation is tough for most of the world, so I have laid out a few tips to help you find your motivation.

To maintain motivation, encourage yourself like you would encourage your best friend, child, or co-worker.  Far too many times, we are inclined to think negatively about ourselves and the areas where we need improvement.  We would never sit silently by if a friend or child was constantly putting themselves down, so why treat yourself this way?  Men and women alike, would benefit from changing their inner dialogue to positive thoughts, especially in regard to health and fitness.  Instead of telling yourself you need to workout because you are “fat,” “out of shape, ” or  have “let myself go,” say one of the following affirmations:  “I am working on being healthier.”   “I am investing in myself and my health.”  “I am working on being the best version of me.”

To maintain motivation, surround yourself with support.  A supportive environment will serve as a safety net when you are struggling to maintain your motivation or need a pep talk.  Reach out to people who live a healthy lifestyle and ask for tips, advice, and use them to hold yourself accountable.  Accountability partners can motivate you in a number or ways; they can remind you of why you’re on this journey, encourage you to make it to the gym, and be your biggest cheerleader when you have successes.
To maintain motivation, find resources that speak to you!  There is not a single motivator that works for everyone; like eating plans and workout regimens, try as many as you need to try until you find the right fit.  The internet provides infinite resources that are available 24/7.  As you are surfing the web, note your reaction to fitness pages, health blogs, or transformation photos and add the most inspiring to your “favorites” for continued motivation.

There is no universal answer for maintaining motivation. All of my real warriors, are motivated by different things. I have some that are motivated by health issues, some are motivated by wanting the ideal body, and some are motivated by wanting a better quality of life. One thing they all have in common is that they have found the key to keep motivated and work consistently and persistently on themselves.

 

Fresno Fit Chef

My passions are food, weight lifting, and fitness but that hasn’t always been the case.  My life changed when my trainer, Coach Rob, introduced me to WEIGHTS!

I am a quintessential example of unhealthy extremes and self medicating.  I have been so thin that I wore children’s clothing and I have also been an over 300 pound alcoholic.  It was clear that I needed to learn moderation, find a plan that worked for me, and overhaul my attitude about life and my health.

When I was in high school, I was a swimmer, a dancer, and a cheerleader; with the metabolism of a teen and these activities, I wasn’t an overweight child.  Long past high school and after years of struggling with my weight,  I was 324 pounds.  Everything ached, my hips and back hurt, and I was drinking regularly.  I knew I needed to do something to change my life.  Too embarrassed to go to a gym, but certain I had to change my life, I called Synergy Fitness and was introduced to Coach Rob.

When I met Rob, I needed someone who understood where I was both physically and emotionally.  Physically: I couldn’t plank for even 2 seconds and I couldn’t do a push  up, nope, not even 1.   Emotionally: I was drinking too much, had a negative attitude, and was embarrassed by my inability to perform simple workout tasks.  After my first session with Coach Rob, my homework was to practice doing a push up.  I was below ground zero.  

Rob and I worked on my fitness, my diet, and most importantly my attitude.  I decided if I was going to spend money on a personal trainer, I was going to follow what he said to the letter.  I committed to the process and implemented everything Rob said and within 8 – 9 months, I lost 70 pounds and gained a lot of MUSCLE!

I don’t think any other trainer could pull out of me what Rob pulls out of me during every workout.  My goal was to get rid of my hip and back pain and in the process, I changed my life and discovered my passion, myself, and my NEXT GOAL!

You can follow my continuing journey on Instagram @FresnoFitChef and on Facebook @FresnoFitChef!

 

Food, Fitness, & the F-Word

Patience is a virtue with which I was not blessed.  Since I was a child, I have wanted to do things full speed ahead and beat my own personal best.  In 2011, I was told by my general practitioner that I was borderline diabetic and with my family history, I needed to start taking medication.  Devastation. Panic. Tears.  Yes!  I had a full on “terrible twos I want cookies at the grocery store meltdown,” but I was much older and in a doctor’s office without parental supervision.

My visceral reaction was deeply rooted in my fear of developing diabetes and dying of complications like my father, who died at the young age of 56.  The look of surprise on my doctor’s face was not comforting and neither were the rapid fire assurances, explanations, and solutions with which he attempted to calm me.  I took a few deep breaths and as he handed me my prescription, I ripped it up and said, “Give me 30 days with no meds and I will be back.”  (My personal choice to refuse medication was not condoned by my doctor.)  There was  no way I was going to pop a pill to control something I could make better by changing my lifestyle.

A girlfriend suggested I watch, “Fat Sick and Nearly Dead.”  I mean let’s face it, when a FRIEND suggests you watch that movie, it kinda says a lot.  I watched the movie, invested in a pricey juicer, and started raw juicing.  For one full month, I walked swiftly into my office without so much as looking at the bagels and donuts.  Instead of high-caloried lunches, I took mason jars filled with unappealing brown and green raw juice to my business meetings.  30 days later, I was down 15 pounds, and the doctor agreed to monitor my weight loss progress instead of put me on a prescription drug.  I took control of my health. 

After surgery February 2016

Weight loss and being healthy is a daily struggle for many Americans and sadly, one I have dealt with my entire life.  FAT, “the F-Word,” stopped bothering me when I was in my mid-twenties.  My philosophy, if “FAT” is the worst thing someone can say about me, I am doing great at this game of life.  The only problem, my health was now being effected, so confident and secure or not, I was unhealthy.  After a few years of my new lifestyle, I was down almost 90 pounds but still battled to lose the last 30 pounds.

In July of 2015, EVERYTHING changed, I was T-boned by a car traveling 55-60 mile per hour, my car was totaled,  and I had to have serious spine surgery.  I was emotionally derailed by my serious fear of surgery and the arduous recovery ahead of me.  My surgery was more complex and more painful than anticipated and I was depleted by the adverse effect my car accident had on my life.  After a trying and crying month of walking around the block with a walker and a month of slowly walking laps in the pool, I was over baby steps.

When my surgeon finally agreed to allow me to slowly get back to my normal workout schedule of 4-6 times a week, I knew I couldn’t do it alone.   I had lost a lot of my balance, stamina, and confidence in my ability to even walk up the flight of stairs to get to the gym.  I needed a cheerleader, a therapist, and a trainer who wouldn’t run when I started crying because I lost my balance on 7 out of 10 reps during leg day.   I needed someone to make sure I took baby steps.  I needed someone who believed I could bounce back, because I didn’t.  Coach Rob was the man for the job! BAM!!! #FoodFitnessNtheFWord

#fitness #fitfam #fitlife #goals #eatclean #healthy #lifestyle #gymaholic #goals #hardwork #crushit #bam #workoutmotivation #fitnessmotivation #fitnesscoach #coachrobj #motivation #gymlife #getfit #gethealthy #coachrobjswarriors #BAMLogic